Li Shimin was so excited when he heard this that he almost jumped up. He had long expected that Xiao Yu would be captured by his eldest grandson, but he never expected it to happen so quickly!

"Someone, quickly give Minister Xiao a seat!"

"And there's tea!"

"New tea presented as tribute from Lingnan!"

Xiao Yu didn't stand on ceremony and plopped down on the stool, slowly sipping Li Shimin's fragrant tea.

Li Shimin then ordered someone to bring a stool and sat directly opposite Xiao Yu, attentively pouring him tea and water.

"Minister Xiao, tell me, why did you suddenly change your mind?"

Xiao Yu sighed helplessly upon hearing this.

"well!"

"This old minister doesn't know why he changed his mind, but the more he looks at the eldest grandson, the more pleasing he becomes. On the contrary, when he looks at Prince Jin, he seems a bit petty and narrow-minded. Whether it's his vision, his perspective, or his magnanimity, he is far inferior to the eldest grandson!"

Li Shimin laughed heartily upon hearing this.

What a coincidence!

"I share the same view as the Duke of Wei and the others!"

"Although Zhi Nu is also good, he is filial and studies hard, but ever since I saw this child and saw how promising he is, I can't help but compare him with Li Jue."

"Then, as they compared them, they discovered that in every aspect, Li Jue far surpassed Zhi Nu!"

"Moreover, Li Jue, as my legitimate son and grandson, is more suitable than Zhinu in terms of etiquette!"

Xiao Yu nodded upon hearing this; in fact, this was the reason he ultimately changed his mind.

Confucianism places the greatest emphasis on the eldest son of the legitimate wife. As the eldest grandson of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jue was, in terms of legal principles, more qualified than Li Zhi to be the crown prince.

As the Book of Rites states, if the eldest son of the legitimate wife is alive, then the eldest son of the legitimate wife shall be established; if the eldest son of the legitimate wife is not alive, then the eldest grandson of the legitimate wife shall be established.

In addition, Li Jue's intelligence, sense of the big picture, consideration for the overall situation, friendliness, and unpretentiousness won Xiao Yu's heart.

"Your Majesty, Prince Jin has not committed any major wrongdoing. I hope that when Your Majesty deposes him from his position as Crown Prince in the future, you will not mistreat him..."

Li Shimin nodded solemnly upon hearing this.

"Zhi Nu is my own son, how could I mistreat him?"

"The reason I deposed him was not because he did anything wrong, but simply because he didn't do a good enough job!"

Xiao Yu nodded in satisfaction upon hearing His Majesty's words.

"With Your Majesty's words, I am relieved."

"When did Your Majesty decide to establish your eldest grandson as the crown prince?"

"This..."

Li Shimin gave Xiao Yu a mysterious smile, and after a long while, he slowly spoke.

"This story begins last year. When I first met Li Jue last year, he didn't even recognize me. He was leading an old servant who had escaped from Qianzhou and setting up a stall on Zhuque Street..."

"Set up a stall?"

"What does Your Highness sell?"

"Fried dough sticks!"

"What? Youtiao was invented by the eldest grandson of the legitimate wife?"

"yes!"

"I felt so sorry for this child. The eldest grandson of the Tang Dynasty had been reduced to selling things on the street and was even bullied by Changsun Wuji's son. In a fit of anger, I demoted Changsun Huan and fabricated a new background for Li Jue, and bestowed upon him the title of Baron of Xianyang County!"

When Li Shimin finished speaking, Xiao Yu immediately took over.

"His Majesty feels guilty towards the former Crown Prince and intends to keep Li Jue in the capital. That's why he hasn't revealed his identity and wants him to live as an ordinary person forever, right?"

"yes!"

"That's what I was thinking at the time. After all, being the son of a deposed crown prince isn't necessarily a good thing for him. Rather than revealing his identity and sending him back to Qianzhou, it's better to give him a minor title so he can settle down in the capital..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu sighed deeply.

"The hearts of parents are always full of love and worry!"

Li Shimin sighed upon hearing this.

"Who says otherwise..."

"Out of guilt, I found myself spending more time with the child, occasionally taking the opportunity of visiting the imperial tombs at Jiuzong Mountain to see him. However, seeing him busy with his small business all day and neglecting his studies, I couldn't help but worry, so I personally taught him a few times..."

Li Shimin's eyes lit up as he spoke, and even his tone became excited.

"However, you don't know until you're taught, and what you learn is quite surprising!"

"My eldest grandson is actually a prodigy who hasn't been seen in hundreds of years!"

"He memorized such a thick book of the Analects just by flipping through it casually. Isn't that amazing?"

Xiao Yu had long known that Li Jue was exceptionally intelligent, so he wasn't surprised to hear this. However, to match His Majesty's excited mood, he still pretended to be excited.

"god!"

"This is absolutely amazing!"

With Xiao Yu as his straight man, Li Shimin became even more animated as he spoke.

"It's just that Li Jue doesn't like to study. He's too lazy to do the homework I assigned him, and he even goes to ask others for help..."

"I beat him several times before he obediently started studying and practicing calligraphy!"

Li Shimin spoke casually, but Xiao Yu was terrified.

If His Majesty has such a violent temper, wouldn't he beat the child to death?

Which prince in the palace was it back then? He only cried out once, and the enraged emperor picked up an inkstone and threw it at him, almost killing him on the spot!

"Your Majesty, a loud drum doesn't need a heavy hammer. The eldest grandson is intelligent and quick-witted, understanding things immediately. There's no need to punish him unnecessarily!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin waved his hand and said.

You don't understand!

"My eldest grandson is the laziest of all, just like me when I was a child. He's happy to talk about martial arts and archery, but he hates it when it comes to reading and calligraphy. If I don't whip him hard, wouldn't I be wasting this grandson's good brain?"

"this……"

Seeing that His Majesty was convinced that "spare the rod and spoil the child," Xiao Yu could only silently mourn for his eldest grandson for three seconds.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!